Lament of the Lamb
by LimerySnicket
Summary: Snippets revolving around Sirius' little brother Regulus Black. Rating may change as darker themes are explored.
1. September 1971

The owl came in at supper that night. That wasn't typical, but tonight it was expected. Mother wrung her hands as Father grabbed their family owl's leg and pulled at the delicate tie.

Regulus took advantage of their distraction to sneak his pet cat a bit of pheasant.

"What does it say?!" his mother exclaimed as Father unrolled the scrap of paper.

Father's eyebrows furrowed and then, catching Mother's frantic look, tried to suppress a smile. "Guess," he said.

"Merlin," Mother whispered, delicately wiping her brow with a kerchief, "Tell me it's not Hufflepuff, that's all I ask."

Regulus giggled, he couldn't help it. His mother shot him a chastising look, but his father laughed.

Mother sighed, "Orion, don't encourage the boy. Now tell us."

His father cleared his throat dramatically, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves…" every word was unnecessarily drawn out, "a… GRYFFINDOR!"

His mother, sufficiently appeased, went back to cutting her green beans. "I don't know why just once he couldn't be a proper Black and get sorted into Slytherin," she mused.

"He's our rogue boy," Father said, "I'm just glad to hear he hasn't been expelled yet."

"Gryffindor has a respectable history, but _these days_, you know," she sent Father a knowing look, "Slytherin's the only safe place left."

"Have some faith," Father said, "He knows better than to get mixed up in that sort of company. Besides, it could be worse: I heard that nearly all of Hufflepuff is mixed blood and Muggle now."

His mother made a face. "Remind me again why we decided not to homeschool?"

"Because we have good boys and nothing to worry about," his father said, giving him as smile before turning back to his mother, "It's our heritage, our history. It's part of our culture, the first real taste of the wizarding community." The way he said it made Regulus suspect they had this conversation many, many times.

His mother let out a sigh. "I suppose there'd be talk if we kept Regulus home. People are so eager to throw around the S word."

"He'll do just fine at Hogwarts."

Mother hummed. Suddenly she reached out to tuck a curling lock of hair behind Regulus' ear, "You'll be a Slytherin, won't you, dear?"

"Yes, Mother," Regulus said obediently.

She smiled at him for a second more, eyes searching him critically. "You need a haircut," she decided.


	2. October 1964

Regulus clenched his father's robes in his tiny fists. He listened to his deep rumbling voice, and it comforted him, but he still felt nervous. Adults were everywhere. They smiled at him and ruffled his hair, but he hid his face.

"Alright, that's enough," his father said, lifting Regulus up to his chest. Regulus wrapped his arms around his father's neck. "Time to go play with your cousins, how would you like that?"

"No," Regulus said as he was carried out of the room.

"You don't say 'no' to your Father, that's bad manners," his father said.

"No PLEASE," Regulus said.

"Look," his father said, opening the door to the nursery, "There's your brother Sirius. Go play with Sirius, look how much fun he's having."

Distracted by his father's point to Sirius, Regulus found himself plopped on the floor. Immediately he grabbed his father's robes again, "Please no, please, please, pleeeease."

"No," his father said firmly.

"Aw, c'mon Uncle Orion, do we really have to watch the baby?" Bella said, "All he does is cry."

"Don't cry," his father said to him sharply. Regulus hadn't even realized he had been crying, but he stopped immediately. "Yes, Bella, you have to play with _all_ of your cousins, Regulus, too."

"'Scuse me, Fahver," Regulus said, tugging again on his father's robes, "I don't wan' to, please."

His father bent down and pulled off his hands. "Go play with Sirius," he said. Regulus couldn't catch him again before he swept out of the door and shut it behind him.

"Alright, baby," Bella said, grabbing his hand and dragging him behind her into the midst of the other kids, "We're playing Muggle Hunters."

"Why do we have to play what you wanna play?" Andy said.

"Because I'm the oldest, and I go to _Hogwarts_," Bella said imperiously.

"I'm going to Hogwarts next year," Andy sniffed.

"I'm going to Hogwarts in two years!" Cissy offered, raising her hand.

"That doesn't matter," Andy said, rolling her eyes.

"Ka-POW," Sirius said, thrusting a fist into the circle.

"Shut up," Bella said, swatting away Sirius' hand. "Do you know what a Muggle is?" she said to Regulus.

Regulus shook his head no.

"A Muggle is the worst thing on the planet," Bella said.

"Worse than POOP!" Sirius exclaimed, and Andy and Cissy broke into a fit of giggles. "Poop! Poop!" Sirius said, jumping up and down.

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed, "Yes, worse than poop. So this is how we play: first we pick teams, half Wizards, half Muggles. I'm the leader of the Wizards, obviously, and Andy can be the leader of the Muggles."

"What?! No fair!" Andy said, "I'm not going to be a stinkin' Muggle!"

"Then who's going to be the Muggles?" Bella said, crossing her arms.

"I don't know; the little kids," Andy shrugged, "Not ME."

"That hardly makes it a _game_, but fine: Sirius, Regulus, you two are the Muggles and me, Cissy, and Andy are going to hunt you down."

"I'M NOT A MUGGLE!" Sirius yelled.

"Yes you are!" Cissy said, "And…" she got in a crouch, her hands held above her head, clawlike, ready to grab, "And I'm gonna catch you!"

Sirius seemed to forget his protest when Cissy dove at him. He squealed, running past her, giggling uncontrollably, "You can't catch me!"

Bella jumped at him, and he squealed louder.

"C'mon Regulus, you're supposed to run, too; you're a Muggle," Andy said to him.

Regulus didn't run.

Andy sighed, "I guess it's more realistic this way," she said, picking him up and carrying him to his over turned playpen, "Muggles are even dumber than babies like you." She lifted up the side of the playpen and shoved him inside. "This is your cage," she explained, and, turning to see that Cissy and Bella had caught Sirius (much to his delight), ran off.

"I'm not a baby, I'm a big kid," Regulus said, belatedly, but no one seemed to hear him.


End file.
